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There are no major ethical concerns about the extraction of adult stem cells from umbilical cords, skin, bone marrow, etc., as long as the donor gives permission. However, during embryonic stem cell research, the only way to obtain the most potentially useful stem cells is believed to be from human embryos. First, surplus embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization procedures in fertility clinics are thawed. The inner cell mass of an embryo is extracted. Stem cells are all that remain. The embryo is killed in the process, which is why ethical issues arise. [10]
Without government funding of basic research on stem cells, progress toward medical therapies is likely to be hindered. Private industry may be reluctant to fund research that could take many years and with no guarantee of the results yielding profitable applications. Moreover, public sponsorship of basic research would help ensure that many more scientists with a broader spectrum of perspectives could pursue a variety of research questions and that their results would be made widely accessible through scientific publication -- two factors that can significantly speed progress. Public funding also offers greater opportunities for regulatory oversight and scrutiny. But thanks to President Obama researching stem cell is possible. [9]
President Bush announced in August that he would allow federal financial support of research that uses embryonic stem cells being cultured in laboratories around the world, but would prohibit funding for the development of new lines that involved creating and destroying additional embryos. [9]
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 | President Barack Obama said he is allowing federal taxpayer dollars to fund significantly broader research on embryonic stem cells because "medical miracles do not happen simply by accident," and promised his administration would make up for the ground lost under his predecessor.[11] |
